Refrigerator cabinet construction



July 29, 1958 0. V. SAUNDERS ETAL REFRIGERATOR CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed May 10'. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS WALLACE THEIR ATTORNH 0Rsol/. SAUNDERS JAMES A ZWK I v irlfliillt July 29, 1958 o. v. SAUNDERS ETAL- REFRIGERATOR CABINET cousmm'rou Filed May '10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Onsou SAUNDERS JAMES A. WALLACE THE IR ATTORNEY United States Patent REFRIGERATOR CABINET CONSTRUCTION Orson V. Saunders and James A. Wallace, Dayton, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application May 10, 1957, Serial No. 658,414

11 Claims. or. 312-204 This invention relatesto refrigerating apparatus and particularly to a refrigerator cabinet construction.

There has recently been placed on the market refrigerator cabinets in which the door. latch mechanism and the door hinges are mounted in a metal door guard or trim strip arrangement on the cabinet about sides of the door thereof which in effect gives the appearance that the door is inset or counter-sunk into the face of the cabinet without actually counter-sinking the doorinto insulated wall portions of the cabinet. The trim strip or door guard along sides of the-door and flush with sides of the cabinet walls forms a picture-like frame about the. front of the cabinet and along sides of the door which improves or enhances the. apearance of the-refrigerator. The picture-like frame also provides hollow or non-insulated wall spaces at the front of the cabinet in which the door latch mechanism and door hinges can be mounted on the cabinet and concealed: by the frame. While these cabinets have been favorably accepted by the public users thereof have advanced certain objections thereto. In such cabinets a part or section of the door guard or trim strip is mounted on and movable with the swingable portion or wing of the door hinges when the cabinet door was moved to and from open and closed positions. This not only caused interference between end edges of sections of the trim strip but also rendered same rather unsightly at least during the time the cabinet door is open.

It is an object of our invention to provide anirnproved refrigerator cabinet construction of the general type above described having insulatedwalls forming a food storage compartment therein and having an uninsulated relatively thin Wall-like projection secured at the front of the cabinet insulated walls and forming a space in which some of the door accessories can be mounted and concealed and serving as a barrier against room air circulating into the vicinity of the door seal.

Another object of our, invention is to provide a novel and improved method of or arrangement for attaching portions or segments of a trimstrip or wall-like extension on the front of a refrigerator cabinet in a manner that will form neat matching connections or joints and yet permit easier and simplier assembly under varying manufacturing tolerances.

Still another object of our invention is to provide a wall projection trim strip on the front of a refrigerator cabinet portions of which are not moved relative-to other portions thereof when the cabinet door is opened and that will cover and conceal parts of the door hinge means from view irrespective of the position of the door.

A further object of our invention is to shape an exposed pivotally mounted end part of a wingof a refrigerator cabinet door hinge means so that it will conform to-the contour of certainouter surfaces of a. metalvwall extension trim strip. mounted on the front face of the cabinet and register therewith in a manner. to, form a, substantially unbroken continuation .of the trim strip at least while the refrigerator cabinet door is closed.

2,845,320 Patented July, 29, 1.958

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. shswn In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a Pe spec ew a. sfr s rato sabins constructed in accordancewith our invention;

F ur is an nla ed r gme ta ss ioaa fi takenfon the line 2 2 of Figure 1 showing 'the doorjamb structure of the cabinet at the latch forthe door thereof;

Figure 3 is aview similar to Figure 2 showing the lllq lt l llgfilf. a w l e en ion tr r p n. a pp n bracketsecured tofthe frontof the cabinet;

Figure 4 ,is an enlarged fragmentary. broken, sectional viewtalgen on the line 4-:4 of Figure lshowingthe cabinet de r. suppor in hinge mean EigureQS is a fragmentary sectional view..ta ken on the line 5S of'l7'figure 4 showing portions of the door hinge Wise. sha d. on orm to ertai uter a -t r ace of the; cabinet wall extension .trim strip;

Fi ur a msnt rvec na view a en. .1 h ne. ff cer s insi he con o r f ensiv plats. im. str p. ecu e he r m ths ab et;

"Eigurel7 is. a. fragmentary broken frontview of the .UPPQIPOKI Q of hs f iserats ab ne h n s ap mounted on the cabinetat the upper front cornerthereof above. oo ns ins. an ri r p h r Figure 8, isaview similar to Figure 7 showinga. name .platetrirn stripplaced on the cabinet with its one end 'fittedu nder a portion of ,the,cap; and

Figure? is a view similar to FiguresTand. 8 showing another cap mounted onthe cabinet at the upper opposite front corner with a portionthereof receiving andoyerap in he. t e n h am pla etr m. trip- Re rri s the dr n s us atin our. tisn, referen num ra 1 gu al. her sftssns al y es ga es ..h u h f e or bi et avin nsulate al s sfinin sdc mpa tmsn lihsr i ..(s ei i ur 2) hav ng a cnt scs s penin o mally losed by. an insulated door 12 pivotally mq llltfid 0.11 the cabinet by hinge means for horizontally swinging movement relative Comp rtment 11. st dapts l r. e. ool d v y a eali un t refri ra in sys e s on nt ona he... r, P vin ssd produ t stor d. he n- As best shownin Figure 2 of the drawings, cabinet. 10 includesan outenmetallshell 13 having. an inturned flange 4 tits om sisean w n m ta l ne 1 p ce J from jshell. 13; ,by a non metallic breaker strip lfi. 'The space between outer shell 13 andliner .15, contains .insulat ing material 17 .of any. suitable or clesirablech aracter t proy ds hsrma ly, atedsabins w 'l s- The in rn dgflan sle s el a ms a fla p t as for the,in sulated wall portions of cabinet, 10 and a s iemsss t 18. c rried by. oo 2.. s ad p drtqs s ingly. e ngagehthis cabinet front face about a'nd adjacent jthelaccessopening. of food compartment 11. Liner 15 is pr f rably aced. r m she a d. upp r ed. c binet i tb msa s o hsrhanth brea r p hrsst ce l sush, r. xample, as by rigid upport .spacedapart around par msnt psain a s. also. conventi na this a Thsinturned an cg s ,mstaleshel 13 h s. d e. pa e bac p n i sel n thence. n-

r .an at r l y q sr as hesa stura s ren th.

shell 13 and to providea channel 19 in'which one edge of breaker strip'16, which closes the gap between the 3 shell and liner 15, is mounted. A metal reinforcing channel 21 is disposed behind flange 14 of shell 13 as shown.

A plurality of U-shaped brackets 23 (see Figures 3 and 4) are mounted in vertically spaced apart relationship upon the front face of cabinet along the sides of door 12 by screws 24. These brackets 23 receive and support on one side of the front of cabinet 10 a continuous door edge guard or trim strip 26 and on the other or door hinged side of cabinet 10 another door edge guard or trim strip in the form of upper and lower sections 27 and 28 respectively (see Figures 1 and 4). The trim strips 26, 27 and 28 are U-shaped in cross sectional contour, are constructed of spring metal and may be painted a contrasting color to the color of other portions of the refrigerator cabinet but are preferably of lightweight'metal polished or chrome plated. Legs of the strips 26, 27 and 28 are spread apart and fitted over the U-shaped brackets 23 and are then slipped rearwardly thereover until reversely bent end portions on the legs abut the front face of cabinet 10 and register with the rounded corner portions of the U-shaped brackets 23 whereby the strips are removably attached to the cabinet. It will be noted that the bight portion of the U-shaped trim strips 26, 27 and 28 are arced inwardly toward the ends of the legs thereof for the purpose of maintaining spring tension in the strips while they are on the brackets 23 so as to firmly lock the strips upon the cabinet. These trim strips form hollow insulated wall extensions on the front of the cabinet insulated walls and after being sprung into straddling frictionally locked engagement with the brackets 23 a special service tool is required to detach same and remove them from the brackets so as not to mar or damage surfaces of the cabinet adjacent thereto. It is to be noted that the outer leg of both trim strip 26 and the outer leg of segments 27 and 28 of the other or sectional trim strip are substantially flush with the outer surface of side walls of cabinet 10 and provide extensions of these walls in the form of forwardly directed continuations thereof. The wall extension trim strips 26, 27 and 28 form picture-like frame portions along sides of the cabinet door 12 to enhance the appearance of the cabinet and to prevent air ambient thereto from flowing across the cabinet in the vicinity of the door seal 18. As a safe-guard against the wall extension trim strips slipping downwardly relative to or along the front of cabinet 10 upon bumping or jarring the cabinet during shipping thereof they may be locked in place by screws or the like at their bottoms which screws would be located in back of the panel at the lower portion of the cabinet and pass through the inner side of the strips and be threaded into channel 21.

As indicated at 30 in Figures 1 and 2 the latch mechanism for cabinet door 12 is located within a casing 31 which casing is secured by screws 32 to the front face of cabinet 10 prior to assembling strip 26 onto the -brackets 23. This latch mechanism as well as the brackets on the latch side of the cabinet are covered and concealed by the wall extension trim strip 26. Door 12 of cabinet 10 has a handle 33 stationarily mounted thereon and a striker 34 is mounted on the door so as to enter the latching mechanism 30 through a front aperture provided in trim strip 26. The latch mechanism 30 and striker 34 for holding the door closed may be of any suitable or desirable construction and is preferably of the type disclosed in the copending application Docket No. F-2446 entitled Door Latch of Orson V. Saunders and assigned to the assignee of the present application. Reference is made to said application for the sake of brevity herein since the latch mechanism and striker per se form no part of the present invention.

The hinge means for mounting door 12 on cabinet 10 includes upper and lower hinges each comprising a metal door supporting or hanging element or member 36 rigidly secured to the front face of cabinet 10 by screws or the like 37 as best shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. A portion of each of the door supporting elements 36 is directed outwardly from cabinet 10 and has a metal hinge pin 38 staked or welded thereto and spaced forwardly of the front face of the cabinet. The hinge pins 38 are each provided with a shoulder 39 for a purpose to be presently described. Each of the hinges or hinge means also comprise a fiat metal hinge Wing member 41 which wings are mounted, by counter-sunk flat headed screws 40 (see Figure 5), on the horizontal top and bottom edge portions of door 12 and have a rounded opening 42 in their outer end surrounding hinge pin 38. The hinge wing members 41 are preferably secured to door 12 in a manner that will permit adjustment of the wings relative to the door for properly aligning the door with the access opening of compartment 11. A rigid non-metallic bushing 43 is interposed between the wall of opening 42 and hinge pin 38 and is counterbored to fit over the shoulder 39 on the hinge pin. The bushings 43 are preferably formed of super poly-amide material which is sold under the trade name of Nylon. Bushings 43 break the metalto-metal contact between the hinge wings 41 and the hinge pins 38 and also between the hinge Wings 41 and the door supporting elements 36. They eliminate friction between these metal hinge parts so as to render the door 12 easily and quietly swingable about the hinge pins relative to cabinet 10 when access to the food storage compartment 11 is desired. It is to be noted (see Figure 5) that the end of hinge wings 41, disposed between segments of the sectional wall extension trim strip on the door hinged side of cabinet 10, substantially fills the space between ends of the trim strip sections and is shaped to conform to the contour of surfaces of the strips such, for example, as the front and outer side surfaces thereof. This shaping of hinge wings 41 forms a smooth registering and matching continuation of certain surfaces of the sectional wall extension trim strip in the vicinity of the hinge means so that the end portions of the hinge wings conform to the strip and are substantially unnoticeable while the cabinet door 12 is closed.

In order to continue the provision of a picture-like frame for door 12 of cabinet 10 along another side of the the front face of cabinet 10 so that the hollow cap 46 is located above the uppermost hinge Wing 41 of the door hinging means at the one upper corner of the cabinet. A similar cap 51 (see Figure 1) having a downwardly directed foot 52 (see Figure 9) is secured to the other or opposite upper corner of cabinet 10 by screws 53. The sides of each cap 46 and 51 which face one another is suitably cut out and shaped to provide an opening therein of a contour substantially the same as the cross sectional contour of a name plate trim or decorative strip to be mounted on the cabinet. The outer end of the opening in sides of caps 46 and 51 is shouldered as at 54 and a lip 55 (see Figures 7, 8 and 9) extends laterally from shoulder 54 along the front side of the caps. One end 56 of a substantially U-shaped in cross section wall extension name plate strip 57 is positioned under the lip 55 of cap 46 and the other end 58 of this strip 57 is positioned under the lip 55 of cap 51. A portion of cap 56 is cut out to receive the hinge pin 38 of the upper hinge means on the cabinet and a portion of both this cap 46 and name plate strip 57 is cut away so as not to interfere with the uppermost hinge wing during swinging thereof upon opening and closing movements of door 12. A predetermined word and/or indicia may be placed on or inscribed in the front face of name plate strip 57 to indicate the brand name of the refrigerator and/or its manufacturer.

In Figures 7, 8 and 9 we show steps in the process of assembling the wall extension trim strips 27 and 28, cap 46, name plate trim or decorative strip 57, cap 51 and wall extension trim strip 26 onto cabinet 10. The sections 27 and 28 of the sectional wall extension trim strip at the hinged side of door 12 are first applied to cabinet and then cap 46 is mounted thereon by the screws 48 (see Figure 7). The end 56 of name plate decorative strip 57 is now inserted into the side opening of cap 46 against its shoulder 54 and under lip 55 and when so positioned strip 57 conceals the foot 47 and screws 48 which mount cap 46 onto the cabinet. The cap 51 is then moved into cooperation with strip 57 with the end 58 of this strip being received in the side opening of cap 51 and positioned under the lip 55 thereof. Cap 51 is now secured to cabinet 10 by the screws 53 and the lips 55 which overlap ends 56 and 58 of strip 57 removably lock this name plate strip upon the cabinet. The wall extension trip strip 26 for the latch side of cabinet 10 is thereafter assembled over the latch casing 31 and the brackets 23 to complete the assembling operation of the picture-like frame along sides of door 12. By the assembling operations described we have provided means for locking the name plate 57 onto cabinet 10 which allows for manufacturing tolerances between parts of the assembly. If the length of name plate strip 57 is considerably shorter than the fixed distance between the shoulders 54 in caps 46 and 51 the strip 57 may he slid outwardly away from shoulder 54 in cap 56 to insure that its one end 58 will be positioned beneath the lip 55 of cap 51 when this cap is clamped to the cabinet 10 as is illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings. It is to be noted that the legs of the U-shaped name plate strip 57 (see Figure 6) are of slightly different length as are the legs of the wall extension trim strips 26, 27 and 28 so that the one bent over end thereof fits in and abuts the rounded front corners of shell 13 of cabinet 10. The caps 46 and 51 are also provided with a rounded head so as to fit in the rounded corners of the shell of cabinet 10. This permits these elements to form substantially straight line forwardly directed continuations of the cabinet outer walls.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that We have provided an improved refrigerator cabinet construction the appearance of which is greatly enhanced by picturelike frame portions that emphasize boundaries of the cabinet door by finishing the trim strips in colors contrasted to the color of other portions of the cabinet. The wall extension trim strips of the present disclosure form guards about the cabinet door and reduce circulation of room air into the region of the main cabinet door seal. In our improved refrigerator construction the trim arrangement is such that it can be readily cleaned to remove finger marks and/or soiled spots. By arranging the wall extension trim strips so that the cabinet door supporting elements of the hinge means are at all times covered and concealed we avoid the creation of an unsightly appearance when the door is opened and since all portions of the wall extension trim strips remain stationary or are immovable as the door is swung relative to the cabinet there is little likelihood that edge portions at the ends of the strips will bind against one another and be bent or damaged.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having insulated walls forming a food storage-compartment therein provided with a front access opening, a door for said opening arranged to seal against a part of the front of said cabinet insulated walls adjacent the compartment opening, hinge means for pivotally mounting said door on said cabinet, said hinge means comprising a door supporting element secured to the front face of said cabinet and carrying a hinge pin spaced forwardly of said face, said hinge means also comprising a wing member secured to said door and surrounding said hinge pin, an uninsulated wall extension trim strip on the front of said cabinet at the hinged side of said door, said wall extension trim strip being in sections above and below the hinge means and each section having an end terminating in close proximity to said hinge wing, brackets mounted on the front face of said cabinet for receiving and removably attaching the sections of said wall extension trim strip upon the cabinet, the sections of said wall extension trim strip being substantially U-shaped in cross-sectional contour and enclosing said door supporting element and the hinge pin thereon to conceal them, and said wing of the hinge means substantially filling the space between ends of the sections of said wall extension trim strip and being shaped to conform to outer wall surfaces of said sections to provide a smooth matching continuation of certain surfaces thereof in the vicinity of said hinge means when said door is closed.

2. In a refrigerator as defined by claim 1 wherein the U-shaped sections of the wall extension trim strip are spring metal and have the leg portions thereof snappedover the attaching brackets therefor.

3. In a refrigerator as defined by claim 1 wherein an outer surface of one of the legs of the U-shaped sections of the wall extension trim strip is flush with the outer surface of a side wall of the cabinet and provides. a forwardly directed continuation thereof.

4. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having insulated walls forming a food storage compartment therein providde with a front access opening, a door for said opening arranged to seal against a part of the front of said cabinet insulated walls adjacent the compartment opening, upper and lower hinge means for pivoitally mounting said door on said cabniet, each of said hinge means comprising a door supporting element rigidly secured to the front face of said cabinet and carrying a hinge pin spaced forwardly of said face, said upper and lower hinge means also comprising a flat hinge wing extending along and secured to the upper and lower horizontal peripheral edges of said door respectively and having an end surrounding a hinge pin, an uninsulated wall extension trim strip on the front of said cabinet at the hinged side of said door, said wall extension trim strip being in sections above and below one of the hinge means and each section having an end terminating in close proximity to the hinge wing of said one hinge means, brackets mounted in vertically spaced apart relation on the front face of said cabinet for receiving and attaching the sections of said wall extension trim strip upon the cabinet, the sections of said wall extension trim strip being substantially U-shaped in cross-sectional contour and enclosing said door supporting elements and the hinge pins thereon to conceal them, and the end of said wing of said one hinge means substantially filling the space between ends of the sections of said wall extension trim strip and being shaped to conform to outer wall surfaces of said sections to provide a smooth matching continuation of certain surfaces thereof in the vicinity of said one hinge means.

5. In a refrigerator as defined by claim 4 wherein the U-shaped sections of the wall extension trim strip are spring metal and have the leg portions thereof snapped over the attaching brackets therefor.

6. In a refrigerator as defined by claim 4 wherein an outer surface of one of the legs of the U-shaped sections of the wall extension trim strip is flush with the outer surface of a side wall of the cabinet and provides a forwardly directed continuation thereof.-

7. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having insulated walls forming a food storage compartment therein provided With a front access opening; a doo'r for said opening arranged to seal against a part of the front of-said cabinet insulated walls adjacent the- -comp'artment opening, hinge means for pivotally mounting said door on said cabinet, said hinge means comprising a metal door supporting element secured to the front face of said cabinet and having a metal hinge pin stationarily carried thereby in spaced relation to said face, said hinge means also comprising a metal wing member secured tosaid door and having an aperture in an' end thereof spaced from and surrounding said hinge pin: above said door supporting element, a non-metallic collared bushing fitting over said hinge pin and disposed in-the aperture of said metal hinge wing member was to isolate the wing member from said supporting elementand said pin for preventing metal-to-metal friction therebetween; an uninsulated metal wall extension trim strip on the front of said cabinet at the hinged side of said doorg said metal wall extension trim strip being in sections above and below the hinge means and each section having an end terminating in close proximity to'said hinge wing, brackets mounted on the front face of said cabinet for receiving and removably attaching the sections of said wall extension trim strip upon the cabinet, said sections'of said wall extension trim strip being of spring'metal substantially U- the space between ends ofthe sections of said wall extension trim strip and beingshaped to conform to outer wall surfaces of said sections to provide a smooth matching continuation of certain'outersurfaces thereof in the vicinity of said hinge means, and oneof the legs of each of the sections of the wall extension trim strip being flush with the outer surface of the side wall of the cabinet at the hinge side thereof to provide a forwardly directed continuation of said cabinet side. wall.

8. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having insulated walls defining a food storage compartment therein provided with an access opening in'the front of said cabinet, a door on said cabinet arranged to engage a front part of the insulated walls thereof adjacent said compartment access opening for closing same, hinge means on one side of said door for pivotally mounting same upon said cabinet, said hinge means including a door hanging member secured to the front face of said cabinet, a wing member secured to said door and a hingepin carried by one member and extending into the other of said members, an

uninsulated Wall extensiononthe. front of said cabinet for the side thereof at said door hinging, said wall extension comprising a hollow trim strip having leg portions abutting said cabinet and a portion intermediate said leg portions thereof projecting forwardly of the cabinet front face along the hinged side of said door, said trim strip being in sections above and below the hinge means with each section having an end terminating in close proximity to said hinge Wing member, brackets mounted on the front part of said cabinet for receiving and attaching the sections of said trim strip to the cabinet, said sections of the hollow trim strip enclosing said brackets and said door hanging member to conceal them, and saidwing member of the hinge means substantially filling the space between said ends of the trim strip sections and being shaped to conform to the contour of certain outer surfaces of said sections, when said door is closed, whereby to provide a smooth matching continuation of said surfaces in the vicinity of said hinge, means.

9. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having insulated walls defining a food storage compartment therein provided with an access opening in the front of said cabinet, a door on said cabinet arranged to engage a front part of the insulated walls thereof adjacent said compartment access opening for closing same, hinge means on one side of said door for pivotally mounting same upon said cabinet, said hinge means including a door hanging member secured to the front face of said cabinet, a Wing member secured to said door and a hinge pin carried by one memher and extending into the other of said members, uninsulated wall extensions on the front of said cabinet for each upright side thereof, said wall extensions each comprising a hollow trim strip having leg portions abutting said cabinet and a portion intermediate said leg portions thereof projecting forwardly of the cabinet front face along sides of said door, brackets mounted on the front part of said cabinet for receiving and attaching said trim strips to the cabinet, said hollow trim strips enclosing and concealing said brackets and one-of them enclosing and concealing said door hanging member, said trim strips terminating short of the top of said cabinet, a cap secured to said cabinet and located above the upper end of each of said trim strips, a name plate extending horizontally across the upper portion of the front of said cabinet and having its ends projected under a part of the opposed caps, and said caps cooperating one with the other to lock said name plate upon said cabinet.

10. In a refrigerator as defined by claim 9 wherein the upper surface of the name plate is flush with the top of the cabinet and the plate together with the trim strips form a picture-like frame on the cabinet front along at least three sides of the door thereon.

11. In a refrigerator as defined by claim 9 wherein the hinge wing member is located between the upper end of one of the trim strips and the cap thereabove and is shaped to conform to the contour of certain outer surfaces of this strip and cap to provide a smooth matching continuation of the surfaces thereof, when the door is closed, in the vicinity of the hinge means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,200 Hoegger Oct. 18, 1927 1,930,721 Marsellus Oct. 17, 1933 2,101,465 Beers Dec. 7, 1937 2,153,851 Swedman Apr. 11, 1939 2,460,469 Rifkin Feb. 1, 1949 

